조선 전반기 불교미술의 조성사상 연구

Abstract

Buddhism in the Joseon Dynasty had been suppressed by the confucian government. As the Neo-Confucianists established the new dynasty, they claimed Buddhism for the failure of the previous Dynasty, Goryeo. Consequently Buddhism had to get away from the open society avoiding the anti-Buddhism policies. The official documents recorded by governors had been so critical on Buddhism that it is hard to understand how Buddhism survived and developed during the Joseon Dynasty through official historical records. It is possible to find out how Buddhism developed in the Joseon Dynasty through the documents about the Buddhist artworks. Buddhism had made remarkable progress in both ideological and cultural ways until the Goryeo Dynasty collapsed. But under the Joseon Dynasty's anti-Buddhism policies, Buddhism had had to endure and had few chance to develop itself for centuries. Even though the government had suppressed it so harshly, Buddhism stabilized the insecure society of the new Dynasty and the relationship with China. The sufferings rather became a chance to unite the sects of the religion and to develop the Zen and non-Zen sects together. In early years of the Joseon, the Pure Land school's thought was absorbed into folk beliefs. Judging from the historical records and Buddhist arts such as paintings, statues and sutras at that time, the Royal family accepted the ideas from Lotus Sutra, Complete Enlightenment Sutra and Sutra of the Garland of Buddha based on the Pure Land school's one. On the contrary, the Buddhist order had simplified the organization. The Buddhist education curriculum of the course was also expanded, so Lotus Sutra, Complete Enlightenment Sutra and Sutra of the Heroic Ones were included. It means the order managed to keep the balance between Zen and non-Zen and furthermore unified them to create unique Korean Buddhism. The anti-Buddhism policies of the Joseon Dynasty had caused disadvantage to Buddhism with no doubt. But they also gave it a foothold for settling down in the common people's life and unifying the separated ideas.